| Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) and its community partners are committed to establishing and developing the FCCJ Community Outreach Partnership Center in the neighborhood adjacent to the college’s Downtown Campus. The community west of the Downtown Campus identified as the Hogan’s Creek area is comprised of three neighborhoods--Springfield, Durkeeville, and Lower East Side--and is targeted for the activities.
This area, once a vibrant middle- and upper-middle-class neighborhood, has suffered the fate of many inner-city neighborhoods. With the growth of the suburbs, the neighborhood has witnessed a population flight and loss of businesses. As the population has left the area, the neighborhoods have seen the quality of the housing stock deteriorate and noticed high crime rates and high levels of adult illiteracy and unemployment. Recently, the neighborhood has seen a renewed interest and level of investment in both housing stock and businesses. The Springfield neighborhood and the adjacent business district have witnessed renewed investment and growth. The city is investing more than $4.5 million to improve the streetscape along the business corridor. New businesses are opening along the Main Street corridor and new residents are locating in the historic homes that characterize the neighborhood.
The college, through the Downtown Campus, has been involved in numerous projects in the neighborhood but these have not occurred in a planned and comprehensive manner. The project will result in a coordinated and focused effort to assist in the revitalization of the Hogan’s Creek area. The project will address the urban problems associated with family literacy, economic development, and capacity building.
The Downtown Campus of the college is one of five major campuses for Florida Community College. Florida Community College is a comprehensive 2-year college offering programs leading to an Associate of Arts degree that is transferable to all state 4-year colleges, Associate in Science degrees, certificate programs, and continuing workforce education. The college service area includes Nassau and Duval Counties in Florida. More than 55,000 students attend class at one of the five main campuses or four centers. Approximately 62 percent of the students are female and 38 percent male with 65 percent White, 22 percent African American, 5 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent Asian. The Downtown Campus has 19,000 students with all major programs offered by the college, including a family literacy program, new advanced technology center, new adult technology preparatory high school, and new nonprofit management center. With the number of special programs, the faculty, staff, and students of the Downtown Campus are well positioned to be a leading force in the revitalization of the surrounding Hogan’s Creek area.
The goal of the project is the revitalization of the Hogan’s Creek area by increasing educational achievement level through raising levels of family literacy, improving economic opportunities through economic development, increasing homeownership, and increasing neighborhood involvement through capacity building.
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